by Marie Force
Toad gave him a mulish look.
Ryan crossed his arms and returned the look.
“I could ask you to leave my house.”
“You could, but you won’t.”
After a long standoff in which neither of them blinked, Toad got up, went into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
While he was in there, Ryan went to the kitchen, rustled around in the cabinets until he found coffee and had a pot brewed by the time Toad emerged from the bathroom, his hair wet from the shower.
Ryan poured him a mug of coffee and pushed it across the counter. Then he poured himself a cup, leaned back against the counter and stared at his former teammate, hoping he was being slightly intimidating.
Toad sat on a barstool, took a sip of coffee and put the mug on the counter. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” He kept his gaze fixed on the mug. “I’m having a shit season. It happens to us mere mortals who aren’t you.”
Ryan continued to stare at him without blinking.
After a long, long silence, Toad looked up at him, seeming lost and scared.
“Whatever it is,” Ryan said gently, “if you tell someone, you won’t be alone with it anymore. Tell me what’s wrong, Toad. Let me help. We all want to help.”
Toad started to say something, but then seemed to think better of it.
Ryan crossed the room, propped his elbows on the counter and looked the other man in the eye. “This isn’t about football. This is about you. Something is wrong. Anyone who knows you can see it. Tell me what it is.”
Seeming to realize he was cornered, Toad sighed deeply. “I… I found a… a lump,” he said, swallowing hard.
“Where?”
He looked away. “My balls.”
“When?”
“The end of camp.”
“And you haven’t said anything before now?”
“We were going into the season. Lillenbrand is nowhere near ready to step up,” he said of his backup quarterback. “What was I supposed to do?”
“You were supposed to put your health and your life ahead of the game and the team. What the hell is wrong with you?”
“I don’t know, but I’m really afraid I have cancer, Sandy.” His eyes filled. “Nancy’s pregnant… I have Kara and now another baby on the way. I’m not ready to die.”
Ryan wanted to shake him, but that wasn’t what he needed. Instead, he went to the door and signaled to Duke. “We’re heading back to town, and we need to see Doc. Right now.”
Toad groaned and dropped his head into his hands, but he didn’t object when Ryan took him by the arm and led him from the house.
Susannah met Ryan at the hospital where Toad was being tended to by the team doctor and several specialists.
Nancy paced the waiting room, waiting for the chance to see her husband. He’d asked her to wait outside while he was being examined.
Susannah hugged Ryan and then went directly to Nancy, who embraced her warmly.
“Thank you so much for coming,” Nancy said. “As soon as I get my hands on that husband of mine, I’m going to wring his neck. For months now, I thought there was something wrong with me because he never wanted to have sex anymore, and it turns out there’s something wrong with him, and he didn’t tell anyone?”
“Thank goodness he finally told someone,” Susannah said.
“Yes, thank God for that.”
What they all feared but didn’t say out loud was that Toad had waited too long to speak up. Ryan and Susannah sat with Nancy for well over an hour before Doc came out to find them.
Nancy jumped up and went to him. “What’re they saying?”
“They’re prepping him for surgery,” Doc said.
“Right now?”
He nodded, his expression grave. “Right now, honey.”
“Oh God.” Nancy started to cry. “Oh my God.”
While Susannah tended to Nancy, Ryan and Duke cornered Doc. “How bad is it?” Ryan asked.
“We won’t know until after the surgery, but they think it’s cancer. Hopefully, it hasn’t spread.”
“He said he found the lump months ago.”
“Damned fool should’ve said something.” To Nancy, Doc said, “If you want to see him, I can take you back.”
“I want to see him,” Nancy said, wiping her tears.
They walked away, and Susannah came over to wrap her arms around Ryan’s waist. “What is it with you guys and your blind loyalty to a damned game?”
“It’s hard to explain to people who don’t share the blind loyalty.” Ryan rested his chin on her head, thinking about all the times he’d played through injuries, determined to give his best to the team no matter what it cost him personally. He didn’t agree with what Toad had done, but he certainly understood why he’d done it.
Bernie and Darling showed up a short time later, greeting Ryan and Susannah with hugs.
“So good to see you, man,” Darling said, “but WTF with Toad?”
“He was trying to get through the season,” Ryan said.
“This explains an awful lot,” Bernie said. “I couldn’t figure out how we’d gone from the playoffs last year to last place this year, when almost nothing had changed.”
“Now you know,” Ryan said.
“The poor guy,” Darling said, shaking his head. “The stress must’ve been eating him up.”
Over the next few hours, other members of the Mavs joined them in the waiting room, each of them greeting Ryan like a long-lost brother. It was nice to be back with the guys again, even if the circumstances were less than ideal.
Susannah talked Nancy into getting something to eat and tended to her until Doc came out to tell them Toad had come through the surgery just fine but with one less testicle.
Nancy broke down in relief and went with Doc to see her husband in recovery.
“I should get back to the house to relieve Martha,” Susannah said.
Ryan kissed her forehead. “I’ll be right behind you.” When he was alone with Duke, Ryan said, “What a day.” It was now after midnight and well into the next day.
“No kidding. I sure do wish he’d spoken up sooner. I feel responsible, like the culture of our team makes it so he felt he couldn’t or something.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the culture of your team, Duke. He certainly isn’t the first player to put the game ahead of everything, even his own health.”
“True enough. I just hope we got him here in time.”
“You and me both.”
The next day, Ryan, Susannah and the kids arrived at their place in Breckenridge. They had spoken with Nancy earlier, and she’d reported that Toad was in good spirits as they waited for the pathology report that would tell them what they were dealing with. The team had announced earlier in the day that Todd “Toad” McNeil was recovering from surgery for an undisclosed health condition and would be out for the remainder of the season. Brandon Lillenbrand had gotten the nod and would be the team’s starting quarterback for the last half of the season.
“I’ll never be able to thank you both enough for coming when we needed you,” Nancy had said.
“Anything for our Mavs family,” Ryan had told her, promising to stop by for a visit before they headed back to Texas.
After he played in the snow with Hope for an hour, they put the kids down for naps and landed on the sofa in front of the fire.
Susannah snuggled up to him. “It’s good to be home,” she said of the place that would always be their true home base.
“We need to get back here more often.”
“I’d be down with that.”
“Speaking of getting down…” He waggled his brows at her. “We’re in our favorite spot, in front of our favorite fire with our favorite rug…” Once upon a time, they’d put their marriage back together right in this very place.
“And both our kids are asleep at the same time.”
“It’d be a shame to let an opportunity like that go to waste.”
Susie shocked the hell out of him when she sat up and whipped her sweater over her head. “Hurry, before one of them wakes up.”
Never one to have to be told twice, Ryan pulled his shirt over his head and had his jeans down around his ankles in record time.
Susannah grabbed a blanket from the back of the sofa and threw it over them as they came together on the rug. Since Hope had started sleeping in a “big-girl” bed, she was known to wander, and she didn’t need to see what was about to happen here.
Ryan wrapped his arms around his sexy wife and pulled her closer to him, loving the lush new curves she had after having babies.
“I’m proud of you, Ry,” she said, kissing his neck and then his jaw.
“How come?” he asked, genuinely perplexed.
“You got Toad to talk to you and maybe helped to save his life.”
“I didn’t really do anything but stare him down until he broke.”
“No one else was able to get him to talk about it. He talked to you because he admires you so much.”
“Whatever it took to get him the help he needs. I just hope…” He couldn’t bear to think that Toad had waited too long to seek medical attention.
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “Me, too.”
After that, there were no more words. Only deep, searching kisses and the urgent need he felt anytime he got to be with her this way.
“Do we have time for bells and whistles?” he asked, nuzzling her breast.
“Maybe, but I’d rather just have you.”
“You have me. You’ve had me since the first day I laid eyes on you in Gainesville.” He slid into her, exhaling a deep breath. Here in her arms, he was at home. When he thought about how close he’d come to losing her…
No, not now. That was in the past, and they were better now than they’d ever been.
“Ry,” she said, gasping when he thrust into her.
“Are we safe to be doing this bareback, darlin’?”
“Should be. I’m still breastfeeding Brayden.”
Should be probably wasn’t good enough, but Ryan wasn’t about to stop now. “Hold on to me.”
Her fingers dug into his back as he wrapped his arms around her, driving them both to orgasms that had them crying out from the intensity of what they created together.
“Love you so much, Susie,” he whispered, his heart pounding in the aftermath.
She ran her fingers through his hair. “Love you, too. More than ever.”
As long as he had Susie and their kids, Ryan had what he needed to be happy. Life after football was indeed sweet.
Two weeks later…
Word came that Toad’s cancer had been contained to the testicle that was removed, and no further treatment was required. Toad became an outspoken advocate for early detection of testicular cancer. During his career, he led the Mavericks to the Super Bowl twice and brought home the Lombardi Trophy once.
Thirty-eight weeks later…
Duke Ryan Sanderson came into the world kicking and screaming.
Fourteen years after that…
Duke Sanderson became the first freshman in twenty years to start as quarterback for the Arlington Colts, coached by his father, NFL legend Ryan Sanderson.
Four years later…
After leading the Colts to a record three straight state championships, Duke took the field for the first time in the Swamp as the quarterback for the Florida Gators, his father’s alma mater. Duke’s parents, brother and sister were on hand for his first game. By then, Duke’s brother Brayden was an up-and-coming star pitcher in the Texas Rangers’ farm system, and his sister, Hope, was working toward a degree in special education at the University of Texas—Austin. As soon as she finished school, she planned to marry a man her father actually liked.
Four years after that…
After winning the Heisman Trophy his junior year at Florida, making him and his father the first father-son duo to win the prestigious award, Duke was the first-round draft pick of the Denver Mavericks. During the season, his parents resided in Breckenridge so they would never miss a Mavericks’ home game.
Turn the page to read Sex Machine!
Chapter One
“I want you to fuck me.” I’m proud of the fact that I never blink as I stare into the baby blues of the man I just blatantly propositioned. In public, no less.
Blake Dempsey chokes on a mouthful of beer, his eyes watering as beer meets lungs in an unholy alliance.
For the first time since I walked into the dark, dank bar, my resolve begins to waver as I question the wisdom of this mission. But if I don’t take the bull by the horns, literally, I might never know why everyone else makes such a big freaking deal about sex. My best friend, Lauren, has assured me that our old friend Blake Dempsey is the answer to my “problem,” and she speaks from experience.
Tentatively, I pat him on the back, hoping to get him breathing again so we can get back to our conversation, such as it is. Let’s face it—he’s no use to me dead.
As he continues to hack beer out of his airway, people begin to take notice of us, which is the exact opposite of what I wanted. I’d planned to come into the dive bar where Blake has his end-of-the-day beer at exactly six thirty every night before heading home—alone—make my proposition and walk out of there with him.
I hadn’t counted on him choking on his beer or having the eyes of every man in the place on me as I wait for him to recover and give me an answer. What if he says no? Men never say no to Honey Carmichael, which is part of my problem. I have a reputation for attracting them like bees to… well, honey. But I’ve never been tempted to keep one of them, thus my well-earned reputation as a love ’em and leave ’em kind of gal, even if that’s never been my goal. No, I want one I can keep. Eventually. Until I find him, here I am with my hands on the bull’s horns.
My dear sweet Gran used to say it’s not my fault that I was blessed with thick honey-blonde hair, soulful brown eyes and breasts that have gotten me more attention than I ever wanted since high school. Not to mention the long legs that somehow manage to stay tanned year round and an ass that an ex-boyfriend once referred to as a work of art. I’ll never deny I’ve had more than my share of attention from men.
The one thing I’ve never had is a decent orgasm with a man, which is why I’m still alone at almost thirty. I’d rather be alone than settle for a man who doesn’t do it for me. But the curiosity about what I’ve been missing out on has brought me to tonight’s mission, which is beginning to feel ill-fated.
Blake finally quits sputtering long enough to look up at me with eyes still watery from coughing. “You wanna run that by me again?”
“You heard me right the first time.” I hold his steady gaze while trying not to give away my nervousness by fidgeting.
His steely blue eyes seem to look right through me, as if searching for the truth behind my blatant invitation. Despite the steel in his eyes, I also see sadness that makes me want to wrap my arms around him and tell him everything will be okay even if I have no way to be sure of that. Wishing I could make it better for him is the second reason I let Lauren talk me into propositioning him. As he runs his fingers through a short crop of dirty-blond hair, I can see his entire torso ripple with muscles under the tight T-shirt he wore to work.
My mouth waters at the thought of all those muscles wrapped around me. I lick my lips as my nipples stand up to take notice and my pussy clenches in anticipation. From what I’m told by a reliable source named Lauren, Blake has the biggest cock in town and knows how to use it. That thought causes the throbbing between my legs to intensify. When desperate times call for desperate measures, I believe in hiring the best man for the job. And these are most definitely desperate times.
“What brought this on?” His sexy drawl and the relaxed way he occupies the barstool belie the intensity of his stare. To look at him, filthy from a day of hard, physical labor, one might dismiss him as just another working man.
One would be
mistaken.
Blake runs the most successful construction and renovation business in the area, and judging by his grimy appearance, he works as hard as the many men he employs. On him, the grime only makes him more appealing.
“Did you finally run out of guys to fuck in this town? No one left but me?”
I can’t deny that I’ve probably had a few too many one-night stands as I searched for the elusive something that has other women waxing poetic about the act. To me, it’s nothing special, two bodies coming together to expend some energy. Big deal. I’ve never understood what all the hoopla is about, a sentiment I recently shared with Lauren. After she finished laughing at me, Lauren said, “If you want to know what the hoopla is about, you need to fuck Blake Dempsey.”
Lauren ought to know. She was with him years ago and declared him an absolute machine in bed. Lauren assures me that doing the deed with Blake will result in nonstop orgasms and pleasure unlike anything I can possibly imagine. “One night with him,” Lauren said, “and you won’t wonder anymore.”
“You wouldn’t care?” I asked my friend.
Lauren shrugged. “It was just sex between us. That’s all he’s capable of. Everyone knows that. A girl would be a fool to fall for him, so I took what I could get, and when it was over, it was over. It was a long time ago. Have at him and The Cock.”
Even though I’ve known Blake all my life and have never once considered him boyfriend material—mostly because my best friend had sex with him ages ago—I’m desperate enough to know what I’ve been missing out on to walk into a bar and utter a sentence that no doubt has my dear, sweet Gran rolling in her grave.
I can’t think about what Gran would have to say about me unashamedly propositioning a man. All I can think about since the conversation with Lauren a week ago are the words “machine” and “nonstop orgasms.” The best orgasms I’ve ever had are the ones I’ve given myself, thus my need for Blake and his legendary cock.
“Are you gonna answer the question?”
I snap out of the fog to realize I’ve been staring at him while he waits for me to answer him. “What was the question again?”
